culture clashers

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 19:26-28

Lev 19:26 “You will not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You will not interpret omens or tell fortunes.
Lev 19:27 You will not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.
Lev 19:28 You will not make any soul cuts on your skin or tattoo yourselves: I am Yahveh.

culture clashers

The people groups in and around Canaan would do all these things. That meant that the Israelites would have drawn attention to themselves by not doing them. The LORD wanted them to be culture clashers, people who dared to be different — to stand out from the crowd.  This generation — even in the church — we are so busy trying to fit into our culture that we do not even understand the reason for these kinds of instruction.  The world needs to see that the God of the Bible is different. But we have swallowed the lie that in order to have peace we need to affirm everyone’s beliefs and everyone’s practises. As a result, we have ceased to stand out. We are blending in.

LORD, give your church the courage to clash with the cultures you have placed her in, and called her out of.

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uncircumcised trees

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 19:23-25

Lev 19:23 “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you will regard its fruit as if it had a foreskin. Three years it will be uncircumcised to you; it must not be eaten.
Lev 19:24 And in the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to Yahveh.
Lev 19:25 But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am Yahveh your God.

uncircumcised trees

The Israelites were instructed to wait four years before they could harvest the trees of Canaan as personal produce. During the third year they could harvest them as a kind of first-fruits offering to Yahveh, but not for themselves. But until then, they were to regard the trees as uncircumcised, not a part of the covenant, and not to be touched.

This may appear to be an unfair inconvenience. After all, wasn’t God giving them the land? Why would he withhold the fruit trees? But the giver always deserves to put conditions on the gift. They were God’s fruit trees, and he has the authority to determine when they could be enjoyed by the Israelites.

There is a maturity that people gain when they are allowed to see a blessing they can experience later, but must wait until the appropriate time for it. Sadly, our generation seems to have lost the ability to manifest that maturity.

LORD, teach us to trust your timing, to be patient for all your blessings.

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it’s complicated

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 19:20-22

Lev 19:20 “If a man lies sexually with a woman who is a slave, assigned to another man and not yet ransomed or given her freedom, a distinction will be made. They will not be put to death, because she was not free;
Lev 19:21 but he will bring his reparation to Yahveh, to the entrance of the conference tent, a ram for a reparation offering.
Lev 19:22 And the priest will provide reconciliation for him with the ram of the reparation offering in Yahveh’s sight for his mistake that he has made, and he will be forgiven for the mistake that he has made.

it’s complicated

This was a particularly complex situation that might develop in Israelite society because it involved four people:

The sinner, a man who chose to have premarital sex with a woman.

The woman, a female bond-servant who may or may not have consented.

The fiance of the woman, who had pledged to buy her freedom and then marry her.

The owner/employer of the woman.

This instruction for the priests only dealt with the mistake of the man who had committed the sin. The other two people are implied here as a way of showing how complicated this kind of sin can get. There is no such thing as free love or a one night stand. The only safe sex is between two married adults who are committed to each other for life.

LORD, help us to simplify our lives so that we do not fall into sin.

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reflecting God’s particular purity

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 19:17-19

Lev 19:17 “You will not hate your brother in your heart, but you will reason frankly with your associate, or you will be responsible for a mistake because of him.
Lev 19:18 You will not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you will love your neighbour as yourself: I am Yahveh.
Lev 19:19 “You will keep my prescriptions. You will not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You will not plant your field with two kinds of seed, nor will you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.

reflecting God’s particular purity

Obeying the previous commands enabled the Israelites to reflect the fact that Yahveh created the whole world, and thus loves everyone the same. But this set of commands challenges the Israelites to see themselves as a particularly pure and set-apart people. They were to reflect the fact that their God is not like the other gods. They could show this difference by how they reacted when wronged by their brother, associate or neighbour. They could also show this difference symbolically by not mix-breeding their cattle, mix-planting their crops, or wearing clothing made of two different materials.

Under the new covenant, the symbolic ways of reflecting God’s purity are no longer required. But Jesus teaches a great deal about loving our neighbour, and about not reacting in anger and vengeance when we are wronged. In fact, he links the idea of loving our neighbour with reflecting God’s spiritual maturity, just like Moses does in Leviticus:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You should love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,so that you may show that you are just like your Father who is in the sky. Because he makes his sun rise on both the evil and on the good, and sends rain on both the just and on the unjust.Because if you only love those who presently love you, what wages are you earning? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you show hospitality to only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the other nations do that? You therefore must be spiritually mature, as your heavenly Father is spiritually mature. (Matt. 5:43-48 JDV)

LORD, make us mature enough to always reflect the difference between your pure love and the world’s mixed love.

Posted in enemies, genuineness, love, maturity, purity, revenge | Tagged | 1 Comment

reflecting God’s impartial love

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions pics September 2016 (26)

Leviticus 19:13-16

Lev 19:13 “You will not exploit your neighbour or rob him. The wages of a hired worker will not remain with you all night until the morning.
Lev 19:14 You will not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you will fear your God: I am Yahveh.
Lev 19:15 “You will do no injustice in court. You will not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but you will judge your associate ethically.
Lev 19:16 You will not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you will not stand up against the blood of your neighbour: I am Yahveh.

reflecting God’s impartial love

The LORD’s commitment was to his entire creation, so even though he had chosen his covenant community to reflect his nature, they were not his favourites. He would not withhold his blessings of rain and sun and families and happiness from other nations. He was just not that kind of a God. The Israelites were to reflect that impartiality in their dealings with one another.

LORD, forgive us for choosing to love some more, and others less. Show us how to reflect your impartial love toward those around us, and so lead them to you.

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reflecting God’s considerate love

Posted on September 25, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 19:9-12

Lev 19:9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you will not reap your field right up to its edge, neither will you gather the gleanings after your harvest.
Lev 19:10 And you will not strip your vineyard bare, neither will you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You will leave them for the poor and for the temporary resident: I am Yahveh your God.
Lev 19:11 “You will not steal; you will not deal falsely; you will not lie a man against his associate.
Lev 19:12 You will not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am Yahveh.

reflecting God’s considerate love

Consideration for others was built into the Mosaic law code. In order to reflect who God is, and their covenant relationship with him, the Israelites had to love one another. That love was to be manifest by acts of kindness and consideration, and by refusing to take advantage of one another for personal gain. The reason for this kindness as a people was the character of the God they were all to represent — as a community.

LORD, show us how to reflect your considerate love toward one another, and all those who need your protection and provision.

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keeping current

Posted on September 24, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 19:5-8

Lev 19:5 “When you offer a sacrifice for healthy relationships to Yahveh, you will offer it so that you may be accepted.
Lev 19:6 It will be eaten the same day you offer it or on the day after, and anything left over until the third day will be burned up with fire.
Lev 19:7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is tainted; it will not be accepted,
Lev 19:8 and everyone who eats it will be responsible for his violation, because he has profaned what is holy to Yahveh, and that soul will be eliminated from his people.

keeping current

The sacrifice for healthy relationships was an offering that indicated the value placed on healthy interpersonal relationships within the covenant community. For that reason, it was to be eaten shortly after presented. To wait days after the offering of the sacrifice is to lose the significance of it a prayer. In essence, it was to devalue the relationships which it represented. It was also to devalue the role the LORD took in bringing about and cementing those relationships.

LORD, thank you for the community, and the community of faith that you have placed us in. May all our relationships bring you honour and glory, and may we never lose sight of their value as a gift from you.

Posted in church, fellowship, unity | Tagged | 1 Comment

every one of you

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 19:1-4

Lev 19:1 And Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,
Lev 19:2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, you will be holy, because I Yahveh your God am holy.
Lev 19:3 Every one of you will revere his mother and his father, and you will keep my Sabbaths: I am Yahveh your God.
Lev 19:4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am Yahveh your God.

every one of you

Here is where the LORD reveals the purpose for all his rules under the Mosaic covenant. He wanted an entire congregation of people who were holy, like him. The various rules and regulations of the Mosaic covenant were designed to reflect the difference between Yahveh and the gods of the other nations. Instead of encouraging rebellion against parents, Yahveh encouraged loyalty. Instead of demanding work for power, he wanted his people to rest in his grace. Instead of images of cast metal, the people themselves were to reflect his image by their holiness. And, instead of a community made up of people possessing various powers and abilities and status, he wanted a community that entirely consisted of holy individuals, equal in status under his grace.

LORD, make us a people entirely holy unto you — every one of us.

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abominable prescriptions

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 18:24-30

Lev 18:24 “Do not make yourselves contaminated by any of these things, because by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become contaminated,
Lev 18:25 and the land became contaminated, so that I punished its violation, and the land vomited out those who stayed there.
Lev 18:26 But you will keep my prescriptions and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the foreign guest who is a temporary resident among you
Lev 18:27 (because the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became contaminated),
Lev 18:28 or else the land will vomit you out when you make it contaminated, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
Lev 18:29 Because everyone who does any of these abominations, the souls who do them will be eliminated from among their people.
Lev 18:30 So keep my charge never to practise any of these abominable prescriptions that were practised before you, and never to make yourselves contaminated by them: I am Yahveh your God.”

abominable prescriptions

The sins categorised in Leviticus 18 sound like a list of extreme sexual and religious deviations, except for the phrase “these abominable prescriptions” in verse 30. That phrase indicates that all these things were actual prescribed practises in Canaanite religion. Such was the depravity in this land, which had become so vile that God said the land itself vomited its people out.

The Israelites were charged to be different. To respect God’s limits and discipline themselves sexually, and hold to the rules of the covenant with integrity.

LORD, make us a people of integrity and personal holiness. Purge us of anything that offends you.

Posted in beastiality, depravity, holiness, homosexuality | Tagged | 1 Comment

abomination too

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 18:19-23

Lev 18:19 “You will not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual contamination.
Lev 18:20 And you will not lie sexually with your associate’s wife and so make yourself contaminated with her.
Lev 18:21 You will not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am Yahveh.
Lev 18:22 You will not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
Lev 18:23 And you will not lie with any animal and so make yourself contaminated with it, neither will any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion.

abomination too

This passage does not isolate homosexuality as being more terrible than other mistakes. But neither does it concede any of the things this generation asks for. It lists all these sexual sins, including abortion after-the-fact, as sins against the covenant and the covenant community. Words like perversion, abomination and contamination are not words that we can easily skip over. The God who called for sexual and moral purity in the days of Moses still calls for it today.

LORD, turn the tide, make us a pure people again.

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